The Zoo

I have such mixed feelings about the zoo. On the one hand, zoos are so important for preservation and for educating kids and adults about animals so that their emotions might get in the mix and make them care about the environment. On the other hand, seeing the animals in zoos makes me sad. Well, I do OK til we get to the great apes. The anthropologist in me loves to watch the lower primates - when the enclosure is an adequate size with appropriate apparati, they seem to be having fun, and I think they're probably happy overall. Even the gibbons seem to be OK. But get to the chimpanzees and the gorillas and they all look at you like, "Up yours. Stop looking at me. You think you'd like it if you were on display all day? I'd like to stick you in a cage with a broken car and a fuzzy black and white VHF TV with no remote. Leave me alone." I imagine they must be as miserable as we would be in their place.

I took the girls to the Oakland Zoo earlier today. They had a great time. Kes talked to everything and everyone, except for when she fell asleep cuddled up to my back. Elly seemed to be more interested in walking around than in the animals, but apparently was taking it all in anyway, since when I asked her what her favorite animals at the zoo were, she listed off a few that I thought she hadn't paid any attention to. After the zoo, we went to the rides area. She threw a fit after we got off the merry-go-round... exactly like she did after her first merry-go-round ride ever at the age of fifteen months. It was uncanny. We had to wait through three cycles to get on the train, but she waited very patiently and insisted it was worth waiting there instead of spending the tokens on more quickly accessible rides. And she enjoyed it, so I think it was worth it for her.

We went home, I kept Elly awake in the car by talking to her and then she couldn't fall asleep at home. Kes took a short nap in the car and couldn't get back to sleep at home either. So we went to the park, which now has the water play area open! Eliana had a blast! Kes was cranky, so I cut it short and came home. Tomorrow we have a morning playdate but if it's this gorgeous maybe we'll go back to the waterpark in the afternoon. Ahhhh, spring. Finally!